Police promise answers family seeks in shooting

Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, tears-up as she recalls the last time she saw her brother Wednesday. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant.JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA – The family of a man fatally shot by police called for answers outside the Santa Ana Police Department on Wednesday while inside, Interim Police Chief Carlos Rojas said he was committed to transparency as three separate investigations continued.

Hans Kevin Arellano, 22, was shot and killed by an officer Tuesday afternoon in a shopping complex at South Harbor Boulevard and West McFadden Avenue, Rojas said. Arellano got into a confrontation with an officer around 3 p.m., then ran, he said. Another officer came to assist, and one officer, woman who is a 13-year veteran with the department, shot Arellano once in the front torso, Rojas said.

Arellano was pronounced dead at the scene, outside the Jugos La Tropicana juice shop. He was unarmed, Rojas said, adding he could not discuss the circumstances that led to the shooting while investigations continued. Other confrontations occurred before police arrived, he added, and described "odd behavior."

"It was a confrontation," Rojas said. "It wasn't having a casual conversation."

Family members said they have received little information from police and seek answers.

"Nobody deserves to die like that," said Tania Arellano, his sister. About 20 family members and friends stood outside police headquarters as officials spoke to media.

She described her younger brother, who went by Kevin, as funny and outgoing; often, his voice and laugh were the loudest in a room. He was kind to her four children, she said, and had a soft spot for her. About a month ago, she found a branch of roses, likely rescued from a gardener's trimmings, on the hood of her car. She instantly knew it was from her brother.

"He always said I was like a second mom," she said.

He grew up in Orange, attending Orange High School, and also attended The Crossing Church in Costa Mesa, she said.

Court records showed that in 2012 he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of burglary and was sentenced to 11 days in jail and three years of probation. Santa Ana police had had contact with him before, Rojas said, and he was a suspect in an investigation into another robbery.

Later in 2012, he also pleaded guilty to breaking a statute against camping in a public place. His sister said he had lived all over the area, sometimes staying with her or other family members, sometimes renting rooms and sometimes staying on the street.

The homeless people in the area of Harbor and McFadden were his friends, she said, but he wasn't really one of them.

"I have a home, and I have a family," her brother would tell others, she said.

The area around the strip mall has been a focus for police in recent months, Rojas said. In July, police received 150 calls from the area relating to vagrancy, prostitution and drugs, he said.

Rojas went to the shopping center recently himself to speak with Business owners, property owners and also the people who camped behind the buildings.

"They couldn't believe they were getting service from the chief of police, but that's how (much) of a problem it was," he said.

Those problems are continuing, he added.

Also continuing are investigations by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, as well as the Santa Ana Police Department internal affairs and crimes against persons units. The investigations are standard in officer-involved shootings, and results are often not made public for months.

Rojas said he would be as open as the law allowed while the investigations are pending. Officials will interview witnesses, examine evidence and speak with the officers.

"From the Police Department's standpoint, we want to be as transparent as possible, and we understand that any loss of life in our community is tragic," he said. "This is no different regardless of the circumstances."

The investigations will seek whether criminal activity took place as well as how the department's policies played out in practice, Rojas said. Santa Ana officers carry Tasers, batons and pepper spray, as well as firearms, Rojas said. The mindset of the officer and the threat he or she faces determines appropriate actions, he said.

"When that officer pulls that trigger, we want to make sure there is fear for their life and that any use of force, especially deadly use of force, is handled appropriately," he said.

To Tania Arellano, her brother's death cannot be justified. She questioned why officers didn't turn to a less-lethal use of force. The shooting was particularly dangerous, she added, taking place in the afternoon near businesses and passersby.

The family will continue to seek answers, she said, and a vigil is planned for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the shopping center where her brother was shot by police.

"We're supposed to be protected by them," she said. "(We're supposed to) feel like we're safe."

Related Links

Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, tears-up as she recalls the last time she saw her brother Wednesday. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Santa Ana's Interim Chief of Police, Carlos Rojas, hosts a press conference at department headquarters Wednesday where he delivered a prepared statement and answer some questions regarding the officer-involved shooting death of Hans Kevin Arellano, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant Tuesday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Handout photos from Santa Ana Police show Hans Kevin Arellano a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed by a Santa Ana police officer Tuesday, July 30, 2013 after fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant, authorities said. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Handout photos from Santa Ana Police show Hans Kevin Arellano a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed by a Santa Ana police officer Tuesday, July 30, 2013 after fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant, authorities said. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, tears-up as she recalls the last time she saw her brother Wednesday. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, talks about her brother's living situation Wednesday after a press conference hosted by Santa Ana PD at police headquarters. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, tears-up as she recalls the last time she saw her brother Wednesday. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Santa Ana's Interim Chief of Police, Carlos Rojas, hosts a press conference at department headquarters Wednesday where he delivered a prepared statement and answer some questions regarding the officer-involved shooting death of Hans Kevin Arellano, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant Tuesday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tania Arellano, Hans Kevin Arellano's older sister, talks about her brother's living situation Wednesday after a press conference hosted by Santa Ana PD at police headquarters. He was shot and killed by Santa Ana Police after allegedly fleeing from a disturbance at a restaurant. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Santa Ana police officer stands watch over the scene where a man was shot by police outside Jugos La Tropicana juice shop near the corner of McFadden Ave. and Harbor Blvd. The man died at the scene. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A witness is consoled by a friend as she waits to be interviewed by investigators at the scene of Tuesday's officer involved shooting outside Jugos La Tropicana juice shop near the corner of McFadden Ave. and Harbor Blvd. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Investigators prepare to look over the scene of an officer involved shooting in which a man was shot and killed around 3 pm outside Jugos La Tropicana juice shop in a strip mall at the corner of McFadden Ave. and Harbor Blvd. in Santa Ana. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
People watch as investigators look over the scene of an officer involved shooting in which a man was killed Tuesday. The incident began in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant on the corner of McFadden Ave. and Harbor Blvd and ended outside the Jugos La Tropicana juice shop around 3 pm. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Orange County Sheriffs and Santa Ana police begin their investigation of a shooting involving a Santa Ana police officer Tuesday around 3 pm. The shooting, in which the man died, occurred outside the Jugos La Tropicana juice shop in a strip mall at the corner of McFadden Ave. and Harbor Blvd. in Santa Ana. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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